Monday, August 17, 2009

Happy Trails

When Jessica had her nine year old birthday in November of 2008, I was still recovering from a broken leg and using a walker. We decided that her Grandma Day would be more fun if we waited until the spring, especially because it was her desire to go horseback riding. Well, spring came and went and so did summer. It is time to start back to school already!

This year Rachel (daughter of my good friend) sweetly agreed to let Jessica go to the barn to see her horse. I was not expecting Jessica to be able to sit on Moose because Rachel’s horse is still young and in training and very special to Rachel.

Hence we were honored that Rachel not only allowed Jessica to get on the horse but also gave her a thorough first lesson on how to properly care and handle a horse.

Rachel is interested in doing therapeutic horse therapy for children with emotional needs. She has the perfect temperament—kind, patient, and calm.

It was delightful to see the sweet connection between Rachel and her horse and Jessica.

Later in the day, I had scheduled a trail ride at a different stable. Our experience there was okay. Although our 2nd guide was also named Rachel, that is where any comparison ends. She never asked our names or where we were from or any questions of us.

As I got on my horse, I asked, “Is there anything that I should know about how to hold the reins or anything else.”

Rachel the 2nd replied, “No, the horses know what to do, you don’t need to know anything.”

So we sat on horses that walked single file through a beautiful forest preserve for one hour. We did see several deer and two little fawns. A couple of times, Jessica held her horse back just a bit and then trotted to catch up. The second time she was reprimanded and so from then on, we quietly followed. There is something special though even about just sitting on a horse.

All considered, we had a good horse day! In the evening, we invited Morgan to bring her doll and horse and jammies and watch a horse movie following dinner at Chili’s and a stop at the Popcorn Store.

Then we all went to sleep full and with happy hearts. Excuse me, I meant with full and happy hearts.

I love your blog about Jessica.Rachel(the daughter of your friend) is an angel...such a sweet young lady. What a good heart she has! I love the way that she took the time to share the love of her horse with your Jessica. She was so kind in the way she interacted with Jessica..teaching her about the horse. Thank you for a lovely blog...great photos of the events...and also showing a loving grandmother's devotion.Hugs and smiles to you from Jackie

About Me

I was an Ohio farm girl, then a teacher. Following my marriage, I moved with my husband to the Chicagoland area and became the mother of two sons. At age forty, when my sons were ten and twelve years old, my husband died suddenly. My life was turned upside down. Through those difficult years, God was faithful. I became very aware of His presence and watchcare over our lives. I loved being my sons’ mama. They became wonderful men of character. Eight years later, I remarried and our family of three immediately became a family of thirteen. My husband is a hobbyist beekeeper and is contemplating retirement but still works fulltime. Today, our family numbers 23.